Meath SFC Cortown....................0-7 Dunboyne..................1-4 Meath minor Padraig Byrne was Dunboyne's hero when his last minute equalising point earned the 1998 champions a share of the spoils in this Meath SFC second round clash at Trim last night, May 22. Cortown, arguably, deserved to bag maximum points but they were denied when Byrne vacated his corner-back position to roam up field and score that vital point. Cortown were first out of the blocks and had two points registered before Dunboyne - who were without county player Nigel Crawford - got off the mark. Indeed, they took the lead for the first and only time when Leo Reilly goaled at the end of the first quarter. Cortown replied with two points, however, and at half-time the scoreboard read 0-4 to 1-1. Despite playing against a slight breeze in the second half, Cortown again made the more impressive start with two points. Their lead could have been more had they not wasted a penalty opportunity just prior to those scores when county U-21 Glen Loughran had his effort saved. Dunboyne failed to score until the final quarter but they were soon back on level terms with Andy McEntee's point squaring things up. A superb Cortown effort from Kit Henry looked to have put the result beyond any doubt but Cortown were punished for over elaboration in their half-back line when they lost possession and Byrne intervened to make them pay. Cortown have surprised many observers with their performances so far in this year's championship - they defeated Dunderry in the opening round - and are now in a strong position to qualify for the knock-out stages. The sight of veteran forward Packie Henry coming on as a substitute will also have pleased their supporters. This result, on the other hand, was bad news for Navan O'Mahony's as it means that they are now the only team in the Meath SFC with no chance of claiming the Keegan Cup this year and a second relegation battle in a row looks to be in store for the Brews Hill outfit. Tweet

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